Youngstown wants about $1 million in unpaid tickets

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Parking ticket delinquents

Download as PDF

Document

The top 60 people who owe thousands in unpaid parking tickets.

The city’s clerk of courts office released a list of the top 60 people with the most unpaid parking tickets, including ex-attorneys, member of the local media, former Youngstown State University students and a car registered to the Mahoning County commissioners’ office.

The 60 owe $110,924, according to the list provided Thursday by Clerk of Courts Sarah Brown-Clark. She had overstated the figure at a Wednesday city council meeting at $150,000.

Overall, there’s about $1 million in unpaid parking tickets, with many of them written on cars downtown and near the Youngstown State University campus, Brown-Clark said.

Some have tickets dating back two decades.

“I’m putting a warrant block on [the top 60] so when they go to the BMV [Bureau of Motor Vehicles] they can’t renew their tags unless they pay us,” she said.

At the top of the list is Troy Adams, who owes $4,740 in unpaid parking tickets, followed by Carla Howell at $4,400, Malcolm Horton at $3,480, Terrell R. Wesley at $3,300, and Derrick McKinney at $3,160.

Others of note include:

Heidi Hanni at seventh with $2,829 in unpaid tickets. Hanni resigned as an attorney in 2016 with disciplinary action pending.

A car registered to the Mahoning County commissioners’ office at 12th with $2,490. The license plate is DMM7135.

“It’s a county car; I don’t know who drives it,” Brown-Clark said.

In 19th place is former county Probate Court Judge Mark Belinky, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to tampering with records, resigned from the bench and surrendered his law license. He owes $1,998.

Tied for 20th place is Mark Peyko, publisher and editor of Metro Monthly, and Louis Wolk, better known as Louie B. Free, who hosts “Brainfood from the Heartland” on Vindy Talk Radio. They each owe $1,980.

Theodore Macejko Jr., an attorney who died eight years ago, is in a three-way tie for No. 53 on the list with $1,140.

City Law Director Jeff Limbian paid about $2,300 in parking tickets a year ago. Until then, he was in the top 20.

Brown-Clark is calling for a crackdown on those who ignore numerous parking tickets. She wants city council to allow police to put tire boots and/or windshield barnacles on vehicles of the worst repeat offenders.

“It’s unfortunate I have to do this, but they’re not fulfilling their responsibilities,” she said. “They just don’t follow through. They forced us to do this for us to get paid.”

Parking tickets are $10. The cost goes up to $20 if it’s not paid after 20 days and goes up to $30 if it’s unpaid after 30 days.

Tickets for parking in handicapped spots is $25. It increases to $50 if not paid after 10 days.

The clerk of courts had an amnesty program for a week six years ago that allowed people to pay the original $10-per-ticket cost with the late fees waived.

Brown-Clark said she’s not interested in doing that again.

“Some of the people on the list were eligible for amnesty the last time and didn’t bother,” she said.